Record Voice Narration

Learn how to record a voice-over for video.

The Audio Narration option allows you to record a voice-over while playing back the video on the
timeline. You can paste a script to read from during the recording.

Tip: Start with great audio.

• Use the best quality microphone you can afford.
• Use default Camtasia Recorder audio settings or start your project with TechSmith Audiate to
record and edit voice-overs.
• ALWAYS do a short test recording to ensure audio is being recorded.
• Use Audio Effects to enhance or correct audio.
• Add audio points to adjust the volume of specific areas of the waveform.

1. Click the Voice Narration tab.

2. Select the desired audio device from the dropdown.

3. To test the audio level, speak as you would during the recording. Drag the slider to adjust the
audio level if the meter’s color does not change to green or changes to yellow or red.

4. Type or paste an optional script into the text box.

5. Select Mute timeline during recording (Windows) or Mute speakers during
recording (Mac) to prevent audio on the timeline from playing through your speakers or
headphones.
6. Drag the playhead to the position on the timeline to start recording audio.
7. Click the Start Voice Recording button.
8. Camtasia plays back the video on the timeline. Speak into a microphone to record your voice
narration.
9. Click the Stop button to stop recording.
10. On Windows, enter a file name and click Save.

The audio clip is added to the timeline and Media Bin.

Edit Audio
Learn how to edit audio on the timeline in Camtasia or send audio to Audiate for text-based editing.

Audio quality is just as important as video quality, if not more so.

• We detect audio errors more easily than visual errors.

• Most people won’t watch a video with bad audio, even if the video itself is very good.
• People are more likely to continue watching a poor quality video if the audio is good.
Tip: Start with great audio.
• Use the best quality microphone you can afford.
• Use default Camtasia Recorder audio settings.
• ALWAYS do a short test recording to ensure audio is being recorded.
• Use Audio Effects to enhance or correct audio.
• Add audio points to adjust the volume of specific areas of the waveform.

Edit Audio on the Timeline

Option Details

Select audio on the Double-click a clip with audio. The clip turns green and the audio bar
timeline appears.

Use the playhead to make a selection. Right-click the selection and

choose Silence Audio.
Silence a section of
audio

Double-click on the audio bar to add points. Click and drag the audio
Add and move audio points up, down, or across the audio bar.
points to adjust volume
of parts of a clip

To create a fade, add three audio points to the audio bar. Drag points
up or down to create the desired fade.

Fade audio in or out

-OR-
Click the Audio tab and drag the Fade In/Fade Out effects to the clip
on the timeline.

See Add Audio Effects.

Option Details

Right-click an audio point and select Delete or Remove All Audio

Points.
Delete audio points

Separate system audio

Right-click audio and select Separate Video and Audio.
from screen recording

Select Edit > Preferences > Program tab > Mirror waveform.
Change the look of the
waveform (Windows
only)

Save audio as M4A, To export an audio file, select Share > Export Audio Only.
MP3 (Windows only), or
WAV See Export an Audio File.

Apply Mix to Mono to Select audio clip on timeline and click Properties button
have audio in both
channels > Audio subtab > Mix to Mono checkbox.

Select audio clip on timeline and click Properties button

> Audio subtab . Drag the Gain slider to adjust the clip’s audio
level.
Adjust audio level of all -OR-
selected clips Drag the audio bar up or down.

Click the volume indicator below the Properties button. Drag the slider
to adjust the project’s audio level.

Adjust the audio level for

the whole project
Add and Edit Effects
1. Click the Audio Effects tab.

2. Drag an effect onto an audio clip on the timeline.

o To view applied effects, click the Show Effects tray icon on the media.

o To hide applied effects, click the Hide Effects tray icon on the media.

3. To adjust the duration, drag either end of the effect on the timeline.

4. To customize the effect, click Properties.

Note: Some effects have audio points instead of properties which are adjusted by clicking and
dragging audio points on the track. See Edit Audio.
Effect Types
Effect Customize Properties

Audio
1. Click Properties.
Compression
2. Select a level from Volume variation dropdown menu or manually
Helps even out
adjust Ratio, Threshold, and Gain to get the desired effect.
audio levels.

Complete one of the following:

• Click the Show Effects tray icon on the media and drag the effect
Clip Speed handles on the timeline.
Change audio and
video clip to play
back faster or • Click Properties and enter an amount for Speed or Duration to get
slower. the desired effect.
o Adjust speed higher for the video to play back faster.
o Adjust speed lower for the video to play back slower.

Emphasize
Emphasizes the 1. Click Properties.
audio for the applied
Effect Customize Properties

media by decreasing 2. Drag the Emphasis slider to change the volume for all other audio
the volume of all tracks on the timeline. 100% mutes the audio of the other tracks for
other audio tracks. the duration of the applied clip.
3. Select Ramp Position to set where the volume transition starts and
For example, apply ends on the timeline.
the effect to voice- o Outside: Complete audio change before and after applied
over audio to media.
decrease the volume
of the background
music for the
duration of the voice- o Span: Complete audio change over the start and end of the
over clip. applied media.

o Inside: Complete audio change at the start of the applied

media and before the end of the applied media.

4. Enter an amount in seconds to set the duration the Ramp

In and Ramp Out volume transitions occur.

Fade In / Fade Out

Creates smooth Automatically applied to beginning or end of audio clip. Grab audio points
transition in to or out and drag to adjust.
of audio.

Pitch (Mac Only)

Adjust frequency of 1. Click Properties.
sound waves to 2. Manually adjust Pitch, Ease In, or Ease Out to get desired effect.
change voice sound.

1. Click Properties.
Noise Removal
2. Click Analyze to automate noise removal process (Windows only)
Helps reduce
or manually adjust the Sensitivity, Reduction (Mac),
background noise.
or Amount (Windows) to get desired effect.
Export an Audio File
Learn three ways to export audio from Camtasia for different purposes.
There are three ways to export audio without video from Camtasia:

• Export a standalone audio file to import the audio to a different Camtasia project.
• Export audio with additional project information, for example to upload to iTunes.
• Export to Audiate to generate a transcript and edit audio as text.
Export Standalone Audio File

Export audio from your project as a standalone .mp3 (Windows only), .m4a, or .wav file.

Note: The exported file includes all enabled audio tracks. To learn how to disable or enable tracks,
see Explore the Timeline.
1. Select Export menu > Export Audio Only.

2. Enter a file name and location.

3. Select a file type.
4. Click Save (Windows) or Export (Mac).
Export Audio with Additional Project Information (Windows Only)

The Camtasia Production Wizard allows you to export .m4a audio file along with project, author, and
iTunes details.

1. Click Export > Legacy Local File.

2. Select Custom production settings from the dropdown and click Next.
3. Select M4A – audio only and click Next.
4. Step through the wizard to create your audio file.
Export to Audiate for Editing

Export audio to TechSmith Audiate to reduce the time spent editing narration.
 • Use text-based editing to quickly remove words or edit hesitations, such as “ums” or “ahs.”
• Edit and correct the transcript to export as a script or captions.
• Send the edited audio from Audiate back to Camtasia. Camtasia automatically syncs the rest
of the media on the Camtasia project timeline.

To learn how to export to Audiate and then return the edited audio to Camtasia, see Edit Audio.
Edit Audio in Audiate
Edit audio in TechSmith Audiate to reduce the time spent editing narration and to create smooth,
professional sounding voice clips.

• Use text-based editing to quickly remove words or edit hesitations, such as “ums” or “ahs”.
• Edit and correct the transcription to export as a script or captions.
Note: Audiate is only available in English, but supports voice recording and transcription in all non-
Asian languages.
1. Right-click a clip on the timeline that includes spoken audio and select Edit in Audiate.
2. Camtasia locks the current project and opens Audiate. If you have not previously installed
TechSmith Audiate, click the Download Audiate button.
3. Edit the audio in Audiate. To learn how to edit audio in TechSmith Audiate, see Edit Audio &
Mistakes.
4. Select Export > Export to Camtasia.

5. The Sync with Camtasia dialog appears. Select an option to sync the edited audio:

o Edit Camtasia Timeline: Automatically updates the entire Camtasia project timeline to
sync with the edited
audio. For example, if you
changed the duration of
the audio clip, select this
option to automatically
update other media on the
timeline to match.
o Edit Media
Only: Edits only the
original video media to
match the edited audio.
Other clips on the timeline
are not changed. Select
this option if you prefer to
manually adjust other
media on the timeline.
6. Click Export.

The edited audio file is imported back into the Camtasia project.

Tip: Start projects in Audiate to avoid time-intensive editing later.

Record or import audio in TechSmith Audiate first. Audiate automatically creates a transcript for you
to delete “ums”, “ahs”, and pauses with the text-based editor. Export the audio directly into Camtasia
to finish your project. Learn more about Audiate.